• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2008

Hydrophytes such as Spirodela polyrhiza form dormant turions to withstand cold winters. The turion is an anatomically distinct structure from which a vegetative frond arises later during germination. The turions sink to the bottom of the pond when temperatures drop and remain there throughout the winter. In the spring, they float to the surface and germinate into a new frond from the turion primordium. Unlike fronds, turions are known to possess small aerenchyma, starch grains, and relatively dense cytoplasm. These features allow the turions to survive the cold winter season at the bottom of the pond. Spirodela polyrhiza has been investigated previously to a great extent, especially in its physiological, biochemical and ecological attributes. However, a little is known about the structural features of the frond and turion during turion development. Thus, the aim of the present study was to reveal the structural characteristics of the frond and turion with regard to tissue differentiation, aerenchyma development, starch distribution, and ultrastructure, with the use of electron microscopy. A moderate degree of mesophyll tissue differentiation was found in the frond, whereas the turion did not exhibit such differentiation. Within the frond tissue, approximately $37{\sim}45%$ of the cellular volume was occupied by a large aerenchyma, but only $9{\sim}15%$ was taken up by the aerenchyma in the turion. The turion cells, especially those of the turion primordium, were derived from frond cells, and contained cytoplasm. Their cytoplasm was densely packed with plastids, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, and microtubules. Plasmodesmata were also well developed within these cells. The most striking feature observed was the distribution of starch grains within the plastids of turion cells. Before the turion sank to the bottom of the pond, a considerable amount of starch accumulated in the plastid stroma. The starch grains dissolved when temperatures rose in the spring, and this promptly provided the nutrients which the primordium needed for turion germination. The turion therefore, was an appropriate dormant structure for free-floating, reduced hydrophytes like Spirodela polyhriza due to its small aerenchyma and large starch grains that aided in the purpose of sinking below the surface of the water to survive cold winters. The new fronds that arose from such turions grew rapidly in the spring, beginning the new life cycle.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2011

Reduced plants of Spirodela polyrhiza consisting only of fronds, stalks and roots form turions during dormancy. In development, mature fronds produce offspring fronds by vegetative reproduction, and turions arise laterally from the mother frond before dormancy. The turion primordium is derived from the frond, while the frond primordium forms within the turion tissue. In the present study, cellular features, especially those of the plastids, of the above four tissue types have been examined and compared using electron microscopy. Proplastids, found to be numerous in the frond and turion primordia, differentiated into chloroplasts rapidly upon growth. The proplastids were small and the thylakoidal membrane system was rudimentary, howerver the chloroplasts exhibited variation by cell type. Chloroplasts were found within cells of the frond, stalk and root tissue. The thylakoidal membrane system, which formed grana stacks, was moderately developed within frond chloroplasts, while only a few were present in those of the stalk and root cortical cells. One to two starch grains were accumulated within frond chloroplasts, but little to none were found in stalk and root cortical chloroplasts. Contrary to other types of root chloroplasts, those found in the root cap cells developed chloroplasts similar to the frond type. Unlike proplastids of the turion primordia, numerous large amyloplasts occupied most of the turion cell volume. Moreover, the turion cell produced quite large starch grain (s) within the amyloplasts. Accumulation of the starch grains continued until they occupied the most of the stroma and in some cases, individual starch grains reached up to $9.0{\mu}m$ in length. None to little, if any, thylakoidal or internal membranous systems were seldom detected in these amyloplasts. Although the degree of cellular and tissue differentiation was rather minimal within their reduced body, the functional differentiation of Spirodela polyrhiza was very efficient, as is the case in other advanced species.